Heavy rain prevented Australia from completing victory, after Simon Katich enhanced his claims for a place in the opening Test against West Indies, when he helped them into a match-winning position on the third and final day of their tour match against Jamaica which ended in a draw on Sunday.

Katich collected four wickets for 15 runs from 5.2 overs, and leg-spin bowler Stuart MacGill took three for 50 from 14 overs to prove that he was clearly back to full fitness, as Australia dismissed Jamaica for 194 in their second innings.

Set 96 to win, the Aussies were coasting to victory on 65 for one, when rain about 1-1/2 hours prior to the close prompted an early close to the match being contested at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium on the north-coast of the island.

Katich, angling for the place in the line-up left vacant by vice-captain Michael Clarke's delayed departure from Australia, hit the top score of 97 on Saturday in the visitors' first innings total of 396.

He followed up when he ran through the tail-end of the Jamaica batting with the scalps of Carlton Baugh Jr, Nikita Miller, Andre Russell and Gavin Wallace bowling his left-arm wrist spin when the home team batted a second time.

When the rains arrived, Katich was 37 not out in the Aussies' second innings, and clearly settling the discussion about who would replace Clarke in the middle-order for the Test starting on Thursday at Sabina Park in the Jamaican capital.

Ironically, Katich's previous Test was almost 2-1/2 years ago against the same opponents at Brisbane.

This was Australia's only practice match prior to next week's opening Test of three.

The second Test starts on May 30 at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, and the third Test start on June 12 at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The tourists also contest a Twenty20 International on June 20 at Kensington Oval, as well as five One-day Internationals - on June 24 at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex in St. Vincent, on June 27 and 29 at Queen's Park in Grenada, and on July 4 and 6 at Warner Park in St. Kitts.

Australia hold the Frank Worrell Trophy - symbol of supremacy against West Indies - and they have not lost a Test series in the Caribbean since 1991.